Illinois homeless rates are declining — including rates in the west-central part of the state — mirroring a trend across the nation.

According to data released Friday by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in its annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, people who are homelessness in Illinois on a single night has fallen by 20 percent since 2010.

Homeless levels in west-central Illinois have dropped from 172 sheltered homeless people registered in the state in 2010 to 102 in 2016, a 40.7 percentage point change overall. The number of homeless families with children also has decreased drastically, from 111 to 30.

However, New Directions Warming and Cooling Center Executive Director Vanessa Tyus said the shelter has seen an increase, specifically with homeless families with multiple children.

“Many had been living with family members and the family members say it’s time to go, we’ve had enough,” Tyus said. “We’ve had families come from Springfield as well that work in the Jacksonville area because they can’t commute back and forth.”

Tyus said the community has been generous and helped those transitioning from homelessness to finding a place of their own by supporting events and donations.

On a statewide scale, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development attributes the national Opening Doors program for directly helping homelessness. Opening Doors is a strategic plan to prevent homelessness that was launched in 2010 to increase access to shelters and crisis services while helping families to secure permanent and stable housing.

Nationwide, homelessness has declined by 32.6 percent since 2010, according to the report, and chronic or long-term homelessness decreased by 56 percent.

The number of people experiencing homeless declined in 37 states between 2015 and 2016, with Illinois having one of the largest decreases in those states.

Nick Draper can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1223, or on Twitter @nick_draper.